Why are the colours on the screen different from the ones on the print?

The colours on the computer screen are in RGB colour model in which the colours are formed by adding together different light beams : R- red, G- green, B- blue. The combining of light beams is similar to adding together paints from different containers: if we mix all light beams (RGB) we get white, when we mix all the paints, we get a “muddy” dark grey.

Printing machines operate with CMYK colours which is a four-colour print: C- cyan, M- magenta, Y- yellow, K- kabana. All tones on print are created from these four colours. The colours are not mixed together, but are applied in different density rasters on the paper, depending on the intensity of the tone. Spot-colours are an exception. These are ready-to-use mixed tones which are added to the four-colour print as a fifth or sixth tone. Formula for mixing spot colours are determined by PANTONE colour codes and these can’t be applied on paper in the same way as four-colour prints. It is important to remember that even the same colour mix may create a different result on paper – the tone and the structure of the paper affect the end result.

To check the result of the print, it needs to stabilise for a while (a few hours for a digital print, a little longer for offset print) and then it needs to be viewed at in natural daylight. For determining the colour tones GRAFILIUS OÜ has the Pantone colour catalogue to ensure you get the exact tone you asked for.